Review of “The Last Jihad”

thjBelieve it or not, this is one of my most recent reads of Joel C. Rosenberg’s end-times, political, action-thriller novels; this is also not my first review of one of his books (read about Implosion here). Yes, I know that it is the first fiction book that the author wrote, but the funny thing is that there was no Kindle edition when I first heard about and became interested in his novels. I had first heard of Mr. Rosenberg’s works just after finishing college in 2009. I wasn’t really in a good habit of reading back then, but I kept him in the back of my mind–just in case I started to read more often. In 2010, I received a 2nd generation Kindle for my birthday, and after a few months of having it (and loving it), I remembered Joel C. Rosenberg again.

I navigated to Amazon.com one day, knowing that I wanted to read a good fiction. I found The Last Jihad, was about to purchase it, but found out–to my dismay–that it was not available in an eBook format yet (it is now). The funny thing was that at that time, I did not think that his novels were necessarily linked, so I found the next one in the search results, which ended up being the second book in the series: The Last Days (I’ll review that for my next review). Thankfully, as much as the novels were linked, I did not feel like I missed out by starting at book two. I ended up reading all the books in this series, and then on to the next series with the books: The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative (and am right now halfway through The Damascus Countdown).

Last fall, a year after reading all of the Kindle versions of Mr. Rosenberg’s novels (minus The Last Jihad), my wife and I were going to be going on an eight-hour trip, and I thought she would like to listen to the audio version of The Twelfth Imam. I purchased the audiobook from Audible just before leaving, used the Audible app on my Android, and we had a blast! Over the next few months, we  used Audible a lot, finishing the two available novels for the David Shirazi series in no time. Just as a side note: it was just as fun and thrilling to read the books a second time via Audible, even after already purchasing the Kindle versions.

After finishing the two novels taking place in Iran, I figured it would be an enjoyable family time to be able to sit down in the evenings and just listen to a good series of books. Naturally, that would start out with Rosenberg’s first novel–the only one I had not gotten around to reading yet–The Last Jihad.

There is no doubt that the author has a talent to take real-world scenarios, put them into a fictional context, and make them entertaining for anyone. I am definitely the history buff and political junkie of the family, but I think that my wife has been just as interested–if not more so–than I am. On the cover, it would be easy to think of The Last Jihad and its sequels as simply a story for a niche market, but I have found that the author’s fiction works are enjoyable to everyone I have talked to about them. I have yet to meet someone else who has read Joel Rosenberg that has said they did not love reading his works.

The Last Jihad begins with a thrilling sequence events that take the reader from Denver, Colorado to Baghdad, Iraq. You are gracefully introduced to characters who, by the end of the series, almost become friends to you: President MacPherson, Marcia Kirkpatrick, Dr. Mordechai, Dmitri Galishnikov, and of course Erin McCoy and Jon Bennett. It was nice for me to get all of the background that I did not know about, or was hinted at in the sequels. The character building is gradual, and takes place over the course of the series, but I feel that the main characters are all introduced and played out well in this first book.

Multi-layered plots unfold from the American soil–in a time very reminiscent of the post-9/11 US geopolitical situation–and from slowly unfolding events happening in the Middle-East: the epicenter of the world. Assassinations, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction are beginning to plague the world to a greater extent than they were before; evil men are gaining momentum; many good men are standing down; the world seems like it may implode. However, unlikely heroes rise up to their life’s calling, make tough decisions, while finding spiritual truth in the midst of their trials.

From a Christian standpoint, The Last Jihad is definitely the beginning of each character’s spiritual journey. Again, over the course of the series, you can truly see the spiritual growth, struggles, and decisions that have to be made at each step; yet this piece of the puzzle is only hinted at in The Last Jihad, making everything feel more realistic as plots unfold later in the book, and eventually later in the series.

I found The Last Jihad to be extremely readable as well. It is easy to pick up for just a few minutes and read, and even more easy to sit down and read for a few hours, losing track of time in the process. The flow of events is smooth, but details are not skimmed over either. I felt like I got the whole story of Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy as I listened to the last few words of the audiobook.

I cannot recommend reading The Last Jihad enough. I know that  Joel C. Rosenberg’s novels have made evenings very exciting in our home. I know once you are finished with this first book, you will want to continue on. I am also going to finish reviewing all of his books that I’ve read here as well, over the next few weeks (though probably not in such great length…I had to give the background story for this first one!).

Nexus 4 on Straight Talk Update

I’ve had my Google Nexus 4 on Straight Talk for about two months now, and I wanted to follow-up on my previous article. This is actually going to be a pretty simple and straightforward update.

First off, I want to give you my feelings about the phone itself after having had it for eight weeks. Simply put, it is incredible. Off the top of my head, I have not come across any drawbacks with the phone itself (hardware and software). I’m not really a phone dropping kind of guy, but about a week after I got the phone in the mail, I dropped it all the way down the stairs at my house. And these are not soft, carpeted stairs either. The stairs in my house are hardwood, and I could see how easily things could break after tumbling down the WHOLE stairway. I’ve read some early reviews about how delicate some people thing the hardware is, but I have not experienced this in the slightest. As it stands, I don’t see any hairline scratches, dings, dents, or cracks at all. Again, I’m usually nice to my phone, but I have my times. Still, not a single blemish on this thing. I’d call that impressive.

Software wise, Android 4.2.2 is heads above previous Android releases. Google Now is a feature that I knew was going to be fun to use, but had no idea just how much I would like it. I use it all the time. It feels kind of like this phone knows me — kind of like a personal assistant. It will tell me, “Church is in 20 minutes. Leave within the next 5 minutes to be on time.” Did I have to tell it that? Not really. It just knows (based on my calendar, and driving habits). The user experience on the phone is super smooth. I remember one time that I rebooted the phone, and that was just because I updated the software to 2.2.2. One small downside I have noticed is the battery life. I wish it were a little more efficient, but it’s no worse than I expected. For moderate use, I usually have to charge it once every 36 hours or so.

The camera has good quality, as well as the video. I did my first photosphere about a month ago, and was amazed by how easily it stitched all of the images together into a 3D “sphere.” It can be viewed on Google Maps. Think of a photosphere as a 3D panorama.

Straight Talk has been a solid performing carrier for my Nexus 4 as well. The coverage has been solid. Speeds have been reasonable (not THE BEST, but still good), and I have not had any issues with data caps(maybe because I only use 500MB a month or so). Unfortunately, it looks like Straight Talk has stopped selling AT&T sim cards for the time-being. They have not specified why, but all I know is that I am still fine. The problem would come for new customers wishing to use Straight Talk’s AT&T sim. It looks like T-Mobile sim cards are the only ones being offered now. Hopefully they will have them back in a reasonable amount of time.

So, I will say that all my expectations have been met and exceeded. I still recommend the Nexus 4 and Straight Talk’s sim program (as long as you can get T-Mobile coverage in your area). As a side note, my wife has had a standard Straight Talk phone (one where we didn’t need to buy a sim card), and it has been great as well.

Nexus 4 on Straight Talk Review

n4

A week ago, a small, unassuming, but long-awaited package sat at my door. True, it was just a phone; but Google’s Nexus 4 was a trip into uncharted territory for me. The Nexus 4 was to be my second phone with an Android operating system. My first was a HTC EVO Shift, which I really liked up until several months ago. There has been a considerable slowdown with newer apps on it, not to mention the dead spot that developed directly in the center of the touch screen. But then again, I’ve had it for nearly two years — it was time to get a new phone.

I have weighed a lot of options over the past three months or so. I’ve been with Sprint for two years, and though they have been overall satisfactory, the monthly bills seem to be ridiculous. Granted, I knew what I was getting into when I signed the contract, but if I add up my bills over the last two years for my wife and me (not counting the up-front cost we paid for the phone), it comes out to around $3,500. That’s a lot of Chipotle burritos!

My first goal was to try to save some cash. Looking at all of the major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile), I found that monthly bills come out to about the same amount; which over two years would still leave us out about $3,500 with a two-year contract, and again, that’s not counting the cost of the phone.

Right about the time I started comparing rates, I heard about Google’s new phone that was revealed: the Nexus 4. The difference with this phone (and previous Nexus phones) is that they come “unlocked” by default. “Unlocked” means that the phone is open to any carrier that supports its hardware; which, in the Nexus 4’s case is carriers that use AT&T and T-Mobile towers in the US (GSM for all of you nerds out there, contrasted with Sprint’s and Verizon’s CDMA). What does that mean to the average person? “I don’t like my carrier for some reason or another, so I’m going to take my phone, and go with someone else.”

The major contract carriers are very savvy with their pricing scheme. They will take, for example, a $650 iPhone, and sell it to you for $200 if you sign a two-year data contract with them. You all know what I’m talking about. And it’s the same for Android and Windows phones too. In other words, the carriers will subsidize the cost of the phone with a much-higher-than-cost monthly bill; and if you’re strange enough to cancel your contract before it is over, they will rightfully charge you a $100+ early termination fee: again, to subsidize the cost of the phone. It kind of reminds of back in the early 2000’s when a place like Best Buy would sell you a computer for $300 if you sign a two-year contract with AOL through them. This is a familiar business practice. I am not criticizing their marketing strategy, but I did have to ponder this question: “Is this strategy the best for my situation.” I did the math. I checked it twice. I thought I could do better.

That’s when I read a very well-explained article by  titled Google’s Nexus 4: Understanding your carrier options. This article floored me. It had to be one of those “too good to be true” things. Prepaid might actually work for us. My first thought was, “but prepaid is junk.” I think that we’ve all come to trust the major contract carriers, and accept the idea that contract is the best and only way to go — except for Obama phones. I always used to think that prepaid was only for people who needed a temporary phone for cheap.

Like JR Rapael’s article suggested, I researched T-Mobile’s monthly 4G service first. It sounded great, and for how much my wife and I talk on the phone itself (not that much), the plan might work: and for only $30-$40 per phone a month for unlimited data (but only 100 talking minutes)! My bubble was burst pretty quickly, though. A friend from church mentioned that T-Mobile might not have good coverage in our area. I looked at the T-Mobile coverage map, and they were 100% correct. T-Mobile coverage is horrid in southern York County. If they had better coverage, I would consider it, though.

Straight Talk Service CardNext I moved to researching Straight Talk (they “piggy-back” on several major carriers’ towers). Their plans are technically only sold at Wal-Mart right now, but they claim unlimited data, text, and talk for only $45. That sounded pretty good to me. I did the math in my head, and even if I rounded up from the actual $90 a month to $100 a month, that would save us about $70! Over two years, that’s over $1,500!

The catch with pre-paid/monthly plans is that you have to buy your phone outright. The monthly payments do not subsidize the phone’s cost. If, for example, you want to buy a new iPhone and use it with Straight Talk, you better be willing to fork over $650 to Apple right now. I can sum it all up this way: pay a lot up front, pay less over the long-term — or pay a little up front, pay more over the long-term. I’d say its all up to your preference.

This is where the Nexus 4 comes into play. It’s cost is half-that of other phones with comparable hardware. Compared to the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III, it is even better in some aspects, but at least equal. On top of that, I like the idea of a “pure Android” phone. That means there’s no silly “Sprint Nascar Cup” app that you can’t uninstall. It is just Android without the added bloat of pre-installed software. Nexus phones are also nice because they are the first phones to get operating system upgrades when Google releases them.

And about the Nexus 4 itself: I love it! This is not going to be a very technical overview — mostly all a layman’s opinion. The phone is so light-weight compared to my old EVO. The screen is as clear as I’ve seen. It is difficult to compare it to other Android devices I’ve owned; the difference is night and day. When I compare the speed, clarity, camera, usability, and other features to other devices (Droid Pro [work], EVO Shift 4G, and I guess I can count a Kindle Fire), it surpasses everything by far. I love the integration with Google and all of its services, including Maps, GMail, Google+, and others. I’ll see if I still like it this much in a few months. I think I will…

My journey with Straight Talk began when I purchased a compatible SIM card from Wal-Mart, as well as a phone for Andrea (she got a Samsung Galaxy Proclaim, which she likes a lot so far). Everything went fine without any real hitches, until I tried to activate my phone. Honestly, it was my own fault that I messed up the SIM card by activating it incorrectly (next time, I should follow instructions). Straight Talk’s customer service was okay. When I was able to talk with the right people about my somewhat odd issue, they were nice enough to send me a new SIM card at no charge (they only cost $15 anyway), and credit me back the five days of service that I lost. Yesterday, I was finally able to activate it. So far, I’ve gotten a lot better service than I had with Sprint at my home, and on an evening trip I drove to Baltimore last night. I don’t have a lot to judge by yet, but I’m very satisfied so far with the speed and coverage.

Here’s the math.

  • First, I’m one of those weird people who cancelled their Sprint contract two months early. That costed us $100.
  • Then we paid $300 for my Nexus 4, and $150 for Andrea’s phone — I guess you could count those as expense, but then again, I still would have paid at least $200 for a phone comparable to the Nexus 4 on contract. So, I figured that Andrea’s phone would be free on contract, and mine would be $200. That means I paid about $250 more up front for phones off contract.
  • This leaves me at $350 more than a contract so far. Add in the $15 dollars for the Straight Talk SIM card for my phone, and that puts me at $365.
  • Add in service for a month for two phones on Straight Talk ($90 total), and that brings us to $455 up front.

How long does it take for “return on investment” then?

  • Assuming I would have paid $160 per month with Sprint, that’s a difference of $70 per month versus Straight Talk.
  • That means I make up the up-front cost by June. After that, its pure savings. Some might even argue that I can take out the $90 dollars for the first month of Straight Talk because I would pay for a month of service with Sprint anyway. That means my real up-front cost would be $385, giving me a return-on-investment in May instead of June.
  • When you add it all up, Straight Talk saves us almost $1500 over 24 months, even when you count the initial investment. On top of all that, if I sign up for auto-payment through Straight Talk, I can currently save an extra $5 a month.

You may ask how I justify paying the $100 in early termination fees for Sprint. I was originally going to wait until late March to avoid the fee, but after I did a little math, I found out, on a month by month basis, we save $140 by switching to Straight Talk two months early. So, by taking the early termination fee of $100, and subtracting that amount from the $140 in savings, we still gain $40 by early termination. Add in the fact that Andrea’s old phone was literally falling apart, and I’d say we had a feasible justification 🙂

On a final note, I did read some articles about Straight Talk’s “unlimited” data, and it sounds like they will arbitrarily throttle you (lower your speed) if you start using 2GB+ of data in a month, but I don’t think I’ve ever even used 1GB in a month. This piece doesn’t really effect Andrea and I much. I could see if you stream things constantly that this might worry you, so if this is a concern, I’d look more deeply into it.

Over the next few months, I’ll test the whole Nexus 4 on Straight Talk thing out, and report back on what I’ve experienced. I cannot guarantee that Straight Talk will even be great. I mean, their website has major style issues right now — think 2001 web design! I can say, as it stands, though, I have been happy with them. The really nice thing is that if I want to switch to a different carrier or plan in a month or year, I can — without any penalties or fees. I’d call that pretty liberating…

Edit: A couple months afterwards, I am still enjoying the plan I’m on.

2012 Election Predictions – Eating Crow

To a large degree, I was way off on my election predictions. A lot of the factors that helped Romney did go how I thought, but I was completely blindsided by about the same amount of Obama enthusiasm as 2008. I thought that the Democratic base would been in a bit of a lull. Not the case.

I was going to write all of the nitty-gritty details, but someone else already did all of that for me! Dick Morris’ post from this morning sums it all up very similar–and with much more authority–to what I would have guessed.

I must say: I am glad the whole election thing is over, regardless of who won!

Okay…no more political tweets or posts for a few months–I’m wiped out!